Category: Middle East

General: US Withdrawing From Afghanistan Makes Terror Fight Harder

The United States completely withdrawing from Afghanistan will make fighting terror more difficult, a top general said on Tuesday. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told members of Congress in Washington that conducting counterterrorism requires finding targets, locating them, and eliminating them. “If you’re out of the country, and you don’t have the…


Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine May Trigger Shingles in Certain Patients: Study

The mRNA Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may trigger herpes zoster—or shingles—in certain patients after just one dose, a new study suggests.


US-Backed Afghan Peace Meeting Postponed

KABUL, Afghanistan—Turkey announced early Wednesday that a conference Washington had hoped would move Afghanistan’s warring sides to a final peace agreement was postponed, as fresh violence rattled the Afghan capital. The postponement of the conference, which was to have begun Saturday in Istanbul, underscored the difficulties the Biden administration is facing in orchestrating an orderly…


Bush Warns Afghanistan Withdrawal Could Harm Women, Girls if Taliban Retakes Power

Former President George W. Bush says he is concerned that President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 could harm women and girls in the long run if the “brutal” Taliban returns to power. Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region on April 14, saying that…


Iran Says 60 Percent Enrichment Meant to Show Nuclear Prowess, Is Reversible

DUBAI—Iran began enriching uranium to 60 percent purity in order to show its technical capacity after a sabotage attack at a nuclear plant, and the move is quickly reversible if the United States lifts sanctions, the Iranian government said on Tuesday. Talks in Vienna aimed at bringing the United States and Iran back to full…


CCP Has Taken Over Islamic Countries, Muslim Scholar Warns

WASHINGTON—The Chinese communist regime is committing genocide against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region, yet Muslim countries still remain largely silent, as they have become colonies of China, according to an expert. Beijing has set its sight on Islamic countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, as they are crucial to its Belt and Road…


UN Nuclear Watchdog Confirms Iran Enriching Uranium to 60 Percent

Iran has started enriching uranium at an above-ground nuclear plant at Natanz to 60% fissile purity—its highest level ever—the UN nuclear watchdog said.


Israel and Greece Sign Record Defence Deal

JERUSALEM—Israel and Greece have signed their biggest ever defence procurement deal, which Israel said on Sunday would strengthen political and economic ties between the countries. The agreement includes a $1.65 billion contract for the establishment and operation of a training centre for the Hellenic Air Force by Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems over a 22-year…


Iran Identifies Suspect Behind Blast at Natanz Nuclear Site

Iran on Saturday named a man it wants arrested in connection with a recent explosion and power outage at its main Natanz nuclear plant, as talks got underway in Vienna on Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. “Reza Karimi, the perpetrator of this sabotage… has been identified” by Iran’s intelligence ministry, state TV said….


Israeli Army: Rocket From Gaza Hits Southern Israel

JERUSALEM—The Israeli military says a projectile fired from the Gaza Strip Thursday evening landed in the south of the country, breaking weeks of relative cross-border calm. There were no reports of damage or casualties. Sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in the Negev Desert town of Sderot and its surroundings. In response, Israeli aircraft early…